1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention is directed to devices for concealing rods and tracs that support window and door coverings. More particularly, the subject invention is directed to valances for curtain rods and blind tracs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, many types of devices have been developed for concealing curtain rods, venetian blind tracks and similar mechanisms for covering window and door openings. Earlier examples include cornices such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,501,133 and 2,526,806. More recently, various types of valance structures have also been developed. Some of these valances, were designed to meet particular applications, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,435,876, or to satisfy special needs such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,031.
Prior designs such as described above have presented a problem in that they tend to be bulky, making them relatively difficult and expensive to ship. Some prior art designs have attempted to address this problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,419 describes a valance having plastic hinges that connect the return panels to the front panels such that the front panels and return panels can be folded together for compact packaging. The hinge is provided with a tab that will lock the return panel in perpendicular relationship to the front panel. However, this design had to be molded as a single piece at the time of manufacture. Such foldable valances could not be conveniently sized and assembled at the place of installation. Since they could not be readily converted to fit a range of window sizes, they often entailed relatively long delivery times or required suppliers to carry large inventories.
More recently, other cornices and valances have been developed that can be more easily modified and assembled. Examples are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,042,548 and 5,259,687 wherein two corner pieces are used to join the end plates to the front panel of a cornice. Such devices could be more easily modified than many prior designs, but the corner pieces tended to be bulky and difficult to package. Also, the rigidity and angular shape of the corner pieces made them somewhat more susceptible to breakage during shipment. Moreover, these devices joined the front panel and end plates in a fixed, right-angular relationship so that valances could not be configured in curved or beveled arrangements.
Accordingly, there was a need in the prior art for a valance with flexible corners that could be easily assembled at the jobsite, that could be readily modified to fit various sizes and shapes of windows and doors, and that could be assembled in a variety of configurations.